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A comment on How does a gas pump know to shut itself off? (1981). Parent comment

Re:How does a gas pump know to shut itself off? (1981) by refurb on Sunday October 11, 2020 @03:55AM (#24744355)
Yeah, theoretically that would work (cooling the gas before it hits your meter). The effect would be far larger than for gasoline. Based on the ideal gas law, dropping the temperate by 20C would reduce the volume by 7% while keeping the mass of gas the same! The change in density of gasoline is only ~2% over the same temperature range.[2]

However, you'd need to warm the gas back up before burning it as furnaces are typically tuned for a specific density of gas.

[1]https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/ideal-gas-law [2]https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/mc-mc.nsf/eng/lm00129.html

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Re:How does a gas pump know to shut itself off? (1981) by Scoundreller on Sunday October 11, 2020 @04:04AM (#24744383)
Time for me to get my meter out of the sun. And shovel snow on it in winter. But I suppose the biggest gains would be during summer where the gas dwells a bit as it draws intermittently.
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Re:How does a gas pump know to shut itself off? (1981) by refurb on Sunday October 11, 2020 @04:16AM (#24744432)
It would be interesting to see how much the gas temperature varies. Pipes are usually below the frost line, so pretty much the same temperature year round.

You’re right that if your meter is in the sun and it gets warm that probably warms the gas somewhat. How much, I’d be curious to know.

And I also have no idea if gas companies adjust for it at all. I assume not since most meters are pretty basic.

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Re:How does a gas pump know to shut itself off? (1981) by Scoundreller on Sunday October 11, 2020 @12:47PM (#24747084)
I think they just adjust globally. Either by adding a factor that depends on average temperatures, or a surcharge to account for 'system loss' between their central meter and the sum of all consumer meters.

GasCo doesn't care if individual customers pay the correct amount, just that they get their costs covered in aggregate.

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Re:How does a gas pump know to shut itself off? (1981) by lotsofpulp on Sunday October 11, 2020 @09:31AM (#24745632)
I feel like natural gas is so cheap that any effort is worth at most $5, for a huge house with lots of people. My total bill in the summer is only $10.

Might be worth shoveling snow on in the winter.

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